Effect of seed coatings on the germination, establishment, and survival of oversown pasture species at glen innes, new south wales

Abstract

Phalaris aquatica, Festuca arundinacea, Medicago sativa, and Trifolium subterraneum, coated with two types of coats, were oversown 29 times in the field over 2 1/2 years. The effect of the coatings on seed germination in petri dishes was also determined. Germination of the grass species was depressed by the coatings. The beneficial effect of seed coatings on field performance was minimal, although there was an indication that establishment from coated seed was significantly improved for seed sown during the warmer months of the year and that response to coatings varied with species. The results of this study and of New Zealand studies are briefly contrasted. © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.